Cameron’s Birth Story

My birth experience with Ridley was the definition of traumatic and painful for years afterwards – physically, mentally and emotionally. I knew I had a lot of baggage that I needed to work through to be able to give birth naturally. I did a lot of soul searching, praying, talking to family, friends and my midwives throughout pregnancy. I often visualized how I wanted things to go at the birth. I never thought that I would be ready to actually give birth, but that time finally came. Apparently, I was ready…by the grace of God.

Cameron’s Birth Story

5:00 AM Saturday

I woke up and immediately noticed that my contractions were much stronger than the Braxton Hicks that I had been having for several weeks. I timed the contractions just for fun and they were all over the place…but they were intense!

6:00 AM

I woke up my hubs and asked if he would help me time contractions while making me bacon and eggs. I called my midwife, my mom, my sister and my mother-in-law just to let them know that today might be the day. I had my doubts, but contractions grew closer together and more intense. I had to concentrate and sway through them.

7:30 AM

My MIL arrived to pick up Ridley and we got all our bags in the car. I wasn’t prepared for how emotional I would be leaving Ridley. We got on the road and let the midwife know that we would be arriving within an hour. Of course, contractions slowed a bit in the car, so I began to think that maybe this was all in my head.

8:30 AM

We arrived at the birth clinic and Linda checked me for the first time during this pregnancy. I was FOUR centimeters and 50% effaced! I was so surprised! Those contractions were actually doing something! She watched me work through contractions and said that we would have a baby sometime that day. I was still kinda doubtful that this was real. Ha!

9:00 AM

My sweet, amazing husband stayed right with me and helped me work through the contractions. I needed counter pressure in my lower back, so he dug his fists in and swayed right along with me. I had envisioned that I would labor standing up and it was the most comfortable position. I worked really hard to keep my lips and jaw loose and I kept my voice as low as I could. Through the incredible pressure of each contraction, I rubbed down on my belly and imagined the baby moving down, down, down. I told him to move down. Ha!

10:00 AM

Linda checked me again and I was 5 cm dilated! It was so encouraging. My mom and sister arrived and were giving me great support. I snacked and drank a lot of water and Low-Oz to keep my energy up.

Now, y’all. I have to tell you that the air conditioner at the birth clinic had just gone out. So it was hot. But you know what? It didn’t phase me one single bit. They had ice water rags on my head, neck, back and arms and had fans going in the windows. The cold rags were a lifesaver, but other than that I wasn’t even thinking about how sweaty I was. I was there to do a job, so that’s what I did.

12:00 PM

Andrea {my other amazing midwife} checked me and I was 9 3/4 cm dilated. She said that my cervix was so thin that whenever I started pushing would be fine. I alternated between laboring on the bed and standing up.

1:00 PM

I finally felt the urge to push. My sweet hubs was still behind me, still digging his fists into my back through each contraction. Andrea was behind me on the floor supporting me through each push and Linda was right there too. They were awesome!

I had talked with the midwives a lot about not tearing since that was a fear from the 3rd degree tear I had with Ridley. We had agreed that I would intentionally listen to them and they would tell me exactly when to gentle push and hard push right at the end. The fan made it kinda hard to hear what they were telling me, but Mom and Kelly relayed the messages and I did exactly what they told me. I ended up needing some traction through the pushes, so I gripped the sheets and my Mom pulled against me. I wonder if her arms were as sore as mine? Ha!

I finally began to feel the baby moving down. They kept telling me that they could see his head. I was thrilled, but I was in such a zone that I didn’t really care what they could see. I just wanted him OUT. {giggle} His head crowned {yes, it hurt like gasoline and matches}. I pushed out his entire head in an INTACT bag of water. Yes. For real. That’s what good nutrition and supplements will do for you.

1:45 PM

They broke the water while I begged for another contraction to get the rest of his sweet body out. It came and OH what sweet relief it was for the burning to stop. The moment that they put sweet Cameron on the bed under me was one of the most healing, empowering moments of my life. As I knelt over him, I couldn’t stop sobbing and repeating, “I just had a baby. Oh my word, I just had a baby.”

That moment was sacred.

The look on my husband’s face was priceless. One of awe and pride and thankfulness. I don’t ever want to forget it.

My mom and sister were crying and saying how proud they were of me.

I got up on the bed and we waited for the cord to stop pulsing. The cord was short, so once it was cut, I moved him right up to my chest where Cameron began nursing right away. I couldn’t believe it!

And then the afterpains hit. Oh my! Ouch! The placenta was completely intact and looked great, so I was very happy about that too. I tore ever so slightly right where the scar tissue was from Ridley’s birth, so I didn’t get any stitches which has made recovery much easier!

Around an hour later, they weighed and measured the baby. I had a snack of fruit and cheese. I took a shower and got makeup on and we were on our way home. All of this happened within twelve hours…the drive there, labor, delivery, shower and the drive home. I called Steak Out on the way home and they delivered steak tips, baked potatoes and salad. Yum!

A Few Other Thoughts

{if you’ve read this far, you deserve an award}

I’ve mentioned the baggage that I had to work through to prepare for Cameron’s birth. Well, I prayed for a long time that God would give me something specific to think on for this birth experience…either a song or a verse or something. Two weeks before C’s birth, these words came to my mind and I knew they were the answer to my prayers.

Jesus is the Name that charms us,
He for conflict fits and arms us;
Nothing moves and nothing harms us
While we trust in Him.

I also meditated on Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

It is very important to make your birthing environment what you want it to be and what you’ve envisioned that it would be. From the people who are there, to the position that you give birth in…what YOU want is most important. I gave my family the heads up that I might make comments to them about something that they were doing or something that I wanted, but not to take it personally. I felt free in this experience to shush people, I told my husband not to touch me except for digging into my back (ha!) and I even asked one midwife who I had never seen before, “Who are YOU?” I asked that she not be there because I wasn’t mentally prepared for her to observe and I couldn’t afford to lose my momentum and zone. Don’t be afraid to fiercely {yet nicely} defend your birthing experience!

Cameron’s wonderful birth is a testament to the greatness of God. Yes, I pushed him out. Yes, I feel incredibly empowered. Yes, I feel fabulous four days after giving birth. Yes. But all I can do is point to heaven to the One who gave me the power, the strength and the healing to do what I did. All the glory belongs to God.

My heart is so overwhelmed and so thankful for the incredible gift of natural childbirth, my incredible midwives, my amazingly supportive husband and the precious babe that we’ve welcomed into our family.

Comments

What an amazing experience for you. As someone who had an epidural both times because I couldn’t imagine going through the pain – I am amazed by your story. Thanks for sharing!amy cornwell´s last blog post ..Thumbprint Designs Review {{and giveaway!!}}

Congrats! I’m so glad you were able to have the birth experience you wanted. 🙂

I went from a 28 hour labor, 4th degree tear natural birth with my first to a 2 hour, 2nd degree tear natural birth with my second and the difference was amazing. I felt like running a marathon after the second, it was so easy compared to the first. 🙂

This was such a thrill to read! 🙂 It is so wonderful when God blesses us like this. I had a c-section with number 5, and my previous 5 deliveries were not that great. So, I prayed, and read, and changed my whole outlook with number 6. His delivery was great! Number 7 I had to be induced. Although just after the ARM it looked like a section would be needed again, it all worked out great, and I had another much better delivery over all. I focussed much more on scripture, and listened to Scripture lullabies whilst labouring.

Oh, and I was home very quickly after most of my births. This last one was only delayed because they had a change in shift of the Midwives, so it took them ages to get it done. Still only a few hours after, though! The difference in how you feel between a bad labour and a good one, is immense!Caroline Cordle´s last blog post ..My little boy grows up….

Thanks you for sharing this miracle with your readers. What a blessed event. I am 68 and birth for me was always quick but sooooo sterile, orderly, so different. My youngest daughter has 4 children. Her first birth with an epi was awful, simply awful. But her following three were very fast and without medication, one of them in their van in Japan. Her fourth was miraculous with the smell of chamomile surrounding her, giving birth exactly as she wanted. By the way, there was actually no chamomile present in reality. I was there for one of four births of all my three children. Overwhelming, as a fresh soul directly from God entered our world. Happy for you.Karen hornsten´s last blog post ..Paper Butterfly Mobile of the Deep Purple Spectrum – Customizable by GracelinePaperStudio

I also had a bad experience with my first and torn horrible. When pregant with my second I was so scared to go though the same. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more until the moment she came out. The second birth was amazing and an answer to my prayers! It was definitely a healing process from my first which was very needed! i also went on to have two more easy birth. We struggle but God rewards us for our struggles! I now have four amazing children to love!

I had a home birth with my fifth child and it was amazing! We used a birthing tub that we set up in our living room. I couldn’t believe how much difference the warm water made in the amount of pressure I felt. Elijah was born after 7 hours of labor in an intact bag of waters, like your Cameron! I had never heard of this and my hubby and daughter said it was very strange to watch. I was glad to hear you say “that’s what good nutrition and supplements will do”!
I praise the Lord or your new baby and a great birth experience!

Myra, I am so proud of you! I had all 4 of my girls naturally and that was 30-25 years ago respectively. My daughters have all opted for epis. It makes me sad that they do not see the value and strength in owning their bodies.

This is so incredibly encouraging! I had a terrible natural birth experience with my son, with a stuck baby and 4th degree tearing and a hard recovery where I couldn’t take care of myself or hardly my baby. I so want to have another child (or three!) but have been extremely scared of it all. I will refer back to your story whenever I start having doubts. I’m so happy for you!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I too had a traumatic birth with my first daughter, with physical and emotional scar that sound similar to yours. I am so encouraged that through Christ your second birthing experience was a blessing… perhaps that Lord and I can work through my issues and have a positive birthing experience next time around. Thanks again for sharing! xoxoApril @ illistyle´s last blog post ..DIY Camera Strap with Lens Pocket Tutorial

Congratulations, Myra!!! Beautiful birth story and beautiful baby! I so appreciated your story about working through the trauma that surrounded your first birth. Giving birth ended a bit traumatically for me with a c/s following a great natural labor, and I know I have a lot to work through/pray through before another pregnancy. I love birth stories that are so empowering!

So happy to hear another natural birth story! I had both my babies naturally, medication free, and virtually pain-free. It is one of the most empowering, and sacred, things we can do. I firmly believe that the way we bring our babies into the world impacts them forever. So it was important to me, too, that they be birthed as gently and as peacefully as possible. Congratulations on your newest little blessing!

So overjoyed for you that you were able to deliver naturally as you wanted! As an OB nurse I have seen the best and the worst of deliveries. So much of it is all in how the mother prepares herself and her support during labor. It almost brought me to tears reading through your story and how the memories came flooding back from Logan’s delivery, which was natural. Hope everyone continues to do great!

Wow Myra! What an inspirational, beautiful story of natural childbirth and you deciding how you want the birth to go. Praise God that it all worked as you wanted it to. Do I understand that you gave birth standing up? You are blessed. Enjoy the babymoon time. We will all be here waiting for you. Congratulations again!

Wow–that is how to have a baby for sure! I am especially impressed with the things you mention at the end: the fact that you give God the glory, how thankful you are to Him, that you meditated on His promises to you, and that you spoke to your baby as you waited for him to do as you asked. Such is the experience of one who reigns in this life! Thank you for sharing your story ~ CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I love this! I had my last son (out of 3) at home and it was the most amazing experience! I would definitley go that route again (vs. the two previous induced hospital births). Congrats on your beautiful little man and wonderful birth!!

God is good! You made ME feel empowered just reading your story! I wanted to go out and birth a baby and I’m not even pregnanty! I can only imagine how you felt! I’ve often said that I would like to try and have my 3rd naturally. We’ll see if and when the times comes. Hearing stories like yours helps!

WOOOO HOOO!! I love empowering birth stories…way to go mama!! I had tears in my eyes at the end. This birth will forever change you and empower you in so many other ways and areas. It really is life-changing.Aimee´s last blog post ..Tackling My Home

Bravo Bravo!! I feel like I was there with y’all. Baby boys are fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing and giving all the glory to Christ!! The Holy Spirit realy shines through you and your blog.brandi´s last blog post ..Cats

Thanks so much for sharing your lovely story. I’m so glad that it was a good experience for you. I was an OB nurse for yrs. and miss it all so much now that I have MS and can no longer work. Love your babies w/ all you have–they grow too fast.

Rejoicing with you! I too had a traumatic ending to a natural labor with my first, and after 7 years and two more babies, I can truly give thanks to God for allowing all that happened the first time. He used that experience and the many long years of physical and emotional recovery to humble me and to teach me much about walking with Him in hard times. The grace and deliverance He gave the next two times were made all that much sweeter.

Just wanted to add a quick note about how I was able to recover from a traumatic labor—for some of you contempating another birth. Myra, I did a lot of the same things you did.
1. Lots of prayer and meditation on God’s word.
2. Read, read, read! Books, blogs, anything you can get your hands on about birth and how to do it better.
3. Get help for your body– my difficult births were caused by structural problems with my body from old injuries. A great natural birth isn’t just all in your head—it’s in your hips too, literally! The spinning babies.com website mentioned earlier is great. Dr. Carol Phillips, the chiropractor whose techniques are featured there, has an excellent book and training video at dynamicbodybalancing.com.
4. Do physical therapy for lingering issues. SO wish I would have done this earlier for external and internal issues. A good therapist who specializes in women’s pelvic floor issues can do wonders!

What an amazing experience! I am so glad to hear all went well with your delivery and baby and mom are healthy. What a blessing. It gives me hope that my next kid will be an even better experience if I prepare for it better. May God continue to bless you and your family! CONGRATS!!Ang´s last blog post ..gift

Congratulations, Myra! I’m so glad you had such an amazing birth this time. Our due dates were within about a week of each other, so it’s been fun following your pregnancy. And, then, we ended up having sweet babes just two days apart! 🙂 How fun! Hope things are going well for you this week at home!Sara @ Mom Endeavors´s last blog post ..Baby Brother’s Birth Story

Congrats beautiful story! My second was born at a birth center and came out completely with the sac intact too. Much better experience overall too. I know my third delivery setting will be quite different here in China, but hoping that at least the labor and delivery will be more like the second than my first.Anna@The DIY Mom´s last blog post ..Mini Music Appreciation "Camp"

Thank you for sharing! I am currently in a position of deciding on a home birth or hospital birth, and have really experienced a lot of fear from previous birth experiences . . . I’ve been gently hearing God’s voice to trust Him and walk in faith, not fear. I stumbled on this story and I know it was God’s hand…encouraging me. Thank you again and congratulations!

Myra, this is such an amazing story. One that has truly touched my heart. Praise the Lord for your wonderful experience and for sweet baby Cameron. And Bravo to you for sticking to your guns and delivering the baby the way you knew he needed to come into this world. I am sure you have mentioned this before but do you have any books/websites you recommend on natural pregnancy/childbirth? Everyday I am taking those steps to a healthier, whole lifestyle and, when/if, the day comes for a baby, I want to be ready. 2 reasons: 1. I don’t care for hospitals, needles,etc.I am a baby, basically, and have a fear of being in that environment. 2. More importantly I don’t want to introduce my child into the world via painkillers. I have felt that, for myself, that is not the right choice. I just would like to know of some informational resources that get right into what I’m wanting to know. If you have that information readily available and it’s not too much inconvenience, I would gratefully appreciate your feedback. Congrats on your newest bundle of joy and God bless!

Myra, thank you so much for sharing this. I, too, had a very difficult time with childbirth the first time. I had a complete 4th degree tear, and they could not stop my bleeding afterward. It was scary. I just found out Saturday that I’m expecting again and I still have that in the back of my mind, and I’m just scared. But this helps and I am so thankful that you shared this!!Kristen Jenkins´s last blog post ..A New Chapter

I’m a birth doula, I love hearing birth stories. I especially love hearing the redemptive ones, the ones that redeemed the prior, traumatic birth experience. It sounds like this was a very healing experience for you. Great job at sticking to what you knew would help you and not letting distraction get in the way. Thank you for sharing this story. Congratulations on your beautiful baby!

Did you have your baby on July 14, 2012? My precious baby boy, Kaiden, was born that day too! I went into labor at 7:30 Friday night and he was born at 9:05 am Saturday morning 🙂 I loved reading about your birth experience! 🙂

Thank you for sharing your birth story. I had two planned home births with a midwife and they were amazing experiences. I started out my first pregnancy with a regular OB and there is a world of difference in the care and nutritional counseling provided by my midwife. I love hearing about other positive natural birth experiences.

My first birth experience was alright, but not a natural one. I wanted to do it differently with my next, I was thinking Bradley method. However God brought me to a book “Supernatural Childbirth” by Jackie Mize. It changed the way I look at giving birth forever. Through what Christ has done it takes the fear and worry away about childbirth. It is well worth praying about and reading.